Tuesday, August 16, 2011

advice nobody needs (except ME!)

you know that this year i've been LOVING the process of making my christmas cards one-unique-card-a-week at JINGLE BELLES... and i am totally excited about the fact that i'll be doing something other than stress over cards this december! (which ok, granted, the "something else" might turn out to be stress over gifts... or stress over holiday logistics... we're in UNCHARTED TERRITORY here folks, this has NEVER happened before, lol!) :) :) :)

however, something i realized the other day when mentioning that all i'd have to complete in december is the addressing and mailing, is that i've been a bit lazy about the INSIDES of the cards in question. because... and here's a shocking true confession for you: YEAH, i am THAT SORT of card-maker; one who does the "fun bits" of creating the gorgeous outside and then--after photographing & posting--moves on to the next thing. sometimes i leave the insides soooooooo close to the last minute that they either get a quick and imperfect stamp of greeting... or (worse yet!) i just write "merry christmas" or "happy birthday" in pen before signing my name.

oh the shame!!! :)

but not this time, no sirree bob! this time i've seen it coming! so the other day i sat down and printed a couple of sheets of clear labels with holiday greetings in all shapes and sizes and i used them to adorn the insides of every single card i've made so far!!! which, by the way, is 41 cards, woohoo!!!

i saved the file as a JPG and i think you can click through and save it to print out for yourself if you'd like to. if that doesn't work, i do also have it made into a PDF which i know prints perfectly, but the instructions for embedding it were rather complicated, so if you want that, just email me using the addy in my profile page, ok?!

as i was adding my greeting stickers, i realized i hadn't signed the back of the cards (i usually put my name and the year) so i did that, as well; then i went "the extra mile" and grabbed my entire envelope stash, brought it downstairs and chose the right sized one for EVERY CARD! (note to self: couldja think about size BEFORE cutting card blanks?! and would it kill you to make a "standard" size once in a while??!) after a marathon session, i can now declare that i am "caught up" and i'm vowing publicly to try to do this as i go along in future!!! :)

13 comments:

HA! I am SO there with you! In fact, sometimes I only get as far as a card FRONT! Talk about shame... I figure I'm still ahead of the game, though, compared to years past, so it's all good. My biggest problem is getting them POSTAL! I make them and set them aside and forget to mail them, sadly...DOH! Maybe this year folks will actually know that I think about them and wish them well...

Insides? Card INSIDES?! I don't understand these words. I figure if my cards say Merry Christmas or Seasons Greetings on the OUTSIDE, why would I put it on the INSIDE, too?

However, I also just realized that you may have freed me up from the notion that a card NEEDS to have the sentiment on the OUTSIDE. I can even SKIP THAT STEP and put it only on the INSIDE!

Oh, and because some of us make only normal-sized cards *ahem* I clean off my table once/month and bag & tag all my cards. They are paired with envelopes, stuck in plastic sleeves, and stowed away for the Christmas season.

Which is another reason I won't go back and touch them again until it's time to sell them or send them. SEND? Did I just type SEND? Hey, it could happen. :)

I'm totally with you. I've even went so far as to say (with my nose pointed snobbily in the air, of course), "Do something on the inside of a card? Pshaw. I'm strictly an outside of the card artist." Of course, I do eventually put something on the inside other than my name but it's usually something rather simple, figuring, as you do, the outside is what really counts with handmade.

Your idea of printing out all those label stickers is awesome!! Maybe I'll do the same. Thanks for the inspiration!

It's so true! After all that work on the outside, I often leave the inside & I've seen people's faces fall when they look inside and see it's empty. Like it's a big set-up or something. lol. Thanks for the reminder & the great label idea.

thanks for the reminder - I have done the insides on and off through the year so far and have numbered but not signed the backs but it's a great idea to just get the insides done right now while it's not hectic! Almost all my cards are a standard size (German post is a bit picky with sizes!!!) so that is one problem I tried to stay ahead of! The printable is great - thanks!

Kudos to you! I almost always leave my insides completely blank and undecorated. I admire those people who make the inside as lovely as the outside. I have done it a few times, but I mostly move on to the next project, like you…or not like you at this point! Kudos to you for getting your sentiments just right :)

Decorating the inside??? What's THAT?? I spend enough time on the front, much less spendng MORE time on the inside!!! I think your idea is a good one...last year, Chad researched whole VERSES, printed them, and I cut and pasted them into our cards. I like your idea MUUUUUCH better! :) Thanks for the printable! You rock!

I was thinking that I was just going to get out all the Christmas stamps that I haven't used on my JB cards and stamp the insides with whatever matches..... hopefully before Thanksgiving. I did go ahead and put post-it notes on the one's that have been requested. I'm going to let The Mr. choose who gets what as he's in charge of signing and addressing. Oh, but you're right - gotta find envelopes that'll fit em'. Ha! TY for the stickers!

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hi there!

♥ welcome! ♥

my name is lauren, and i'm a paperholic...i have more art supplies than any sensible person needs (but i'm NOT giving 'em back!)...i've been married to my lovely husband, jeff, for 20+ years...we have no kids or pets (no room, what with all the paper!)...my back has a mind of its own...i'm addicted to chapstick...i can be bribed with ice cream or a hot stone pedicure...the museum hasn't been built that i would not enjoy...my favorite form of punctuation is the ellipsis...i like making stuff...wanna be friends?